1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the preparation of 1,2-diacetoxyalkanes by the oxidation of aliphatic 1-olefins to peroxides with oxygen followed by decomposition of the peroxides in acetic acid solution in the absence of catalyst.
The product of the process of the invention find utility, inter alia, as oil additives, plasticizers, solvents and as intermediates in glycol manufacture.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The art to which the present process is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,857. In the process of that patent, olefins are oxidized with molecular oxygen in the presence of acetic acid and of cerium salts to form a mixture of vic-glycol monoesters and diesters. The use of cerium salts increases the cost of such a process as does the need to separate the products by fractional distillation, chromatography and the like.
The best results mentioned in this patent using a 1-octane feed is a 63.5% at 20.8% octene-1 conversion. With the present process, similar selectivity is achieved without any catalyst starting with decene-1 at 78.5% conversion.
British Pat. No. 904,304 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,271,447 also disclose one stage processes for the oxidation of olefinic compounds using various metal catalysts with or without hydrobromic acid.